Barefoot Daydreams Christmas Home Tour 2016

Saturday, December 17, 2016

This blog has been pretty dead for the last year and I haven't done a Christmas tour in years but I was determined to get it up this year-- it used to be my favorite blog to share! I comply with my own rule of no Christmas decor before Thanksgiving, but as soon as that turkey is digested, I'm up in the attic untangling lights. The warmth of twinkle lights, the spiced drinks on the stove, and the constant Hallmark movies...the nativity scenes, the carols, the reminders of hope and joy in an otherwise dreary world. It wouldn't be a year without Christmas and I love these tangible reminders of this sacred holiday we celebrate.

Disclaimer: I'm following Nester's lead with the mantra "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful." And if you've popped in to our house anytime over the last few weeks {I'm looking at you Chaaron and AnnieLaurie}, you can attest my house is not really this clean. Ever. Rest assured, beyond the frame of each picture, there are moved piles of junk mail and preschool art and unswept floors. Like, really big piles.

Without anymore excuses, come on in!

After the garland and mistletoe, you'll notice the toys I passive agressively leave on the steps in hopes someone will actually take them upstairs {it doesn't work}. Or the giant train table box that is way too heavy to be moved before Christmas. "No, I have no idea what this is kids. It's for Daddy's work..." It's going to be so much harder to lie when my kids can read.

We've been buying the Congressional Christmas ornament since we were engaged in 2006 so we have a pretty good collection at this point! I always hang them on the stair garland and little fingers have so far been uninterested in them.

A peek into the dining room...

With a peek into the kitchen...

Hands down my favorite part of the season is collecting the mail every day! Last year, I received my first card Thanksgiving weekend {GUILT! GUILT! GUILT!}. This year, everyone is much more my speed...didn't get our first cards until well into December. And yes, that's Fred the Elf gallantly keeping watch.

A glimpse of step-ladders and baby gates and toy boxes through the fresh cedar garland. I love cedar garland because of how easily it drapes and you can't tell when it's dry!

My favorite nook of the kitchen. Christmas decor in here consists of a few small {fake} boxwood wreaths in the windows and doors, and a swag of cedar garland over the kitchen sink. Simple and easy.

If you've known me any amount of time, you know that I love decorating with Contact paper! Don't want to commit to a painted chalkboard wall? Black contact paper works like a dream-- lays down smooth and peels off without residue. {There is a Christmas countdown drawn below this but I won't show you for fear Sarah Bohl sees it!}

Next we move to the living room...room of all things Hallmark movies and Christmas lights. It's an old house without recessed lighting so I love the added light of the tree.

Our mantle is covered with boxwood and cedar garland. The boxwood is beautiful but dries out so.fast. Just don't touch it and you'll be none the wiser.

My mom sends me a Wallace Sleigh Bell every year-- a tradition I LOVE. This is our tenth married Christmas so the mantle is filling up. Knock on wood, the toddler hasn't yanked one off yet!

$5 placemat from Target. Boom-- Christmas pillow.

I 100% stole that deer head on the basket thing from my blogger friend April. We were best blog friends back in the day when we actually blogged-- now we just ogle each other's Instagram pics!

And now the tree! We mix mini lights with the big cafe bulbs, both frosted and translucent, and it gives great light. And we are always paranoid about ruining wood floors with leaking tree stands, so a few years ago we put our tree stand in this galvanized tub to contain any leaks. I love the look and the added height...and the kids benefit from the added gift space!

And that's pretty much it-- the bulk of the Christmas pretty is downstairs. I have these signs on the kid's bedroom doors and they have little fake trees in their room. You can see Jack's sitting on the radiator-- did anyone else buy up those little, felt sea creature ornaments from Target??

Or the glass tree truck in the dollar section??

Sparsely decorated but I love the light and view from this angle, coming down the stairs on Christmas morning.

This is our first year with an Elf on the Shelf {Charlotte FULLY embraces his magic and none of his behavioral demands}, so it is still more fun than annoying and we haven't forgotten to move him yet! Any excuses I need to have in my back pocket for when we do?

I'm at the point where I don't need to to buy any new Christmas stuff {seriously, remind me of that when I walk into Target next October}. Here are a few inexpensive ways I add Christmas touches to little corners here and there...

Set out the gingerbread houses and decorated cookies on cake stands...and voila!

Christmas pretty in progress...

Thank you so much for stopping by and indulging my Christmas whims! It is absolutely my favorite part of the year but I have also grow weary of the coming chaos. Every year I am determined to be less stressed, and less busy, and less obligated... I am constantly re-arranging priorities so to not get lost in the unimportant details of the season. One year I didn't do a card, this year we're not hosting a party, many years I don't get a blog up, I gave up a cookie swap I used to host...all things I love but aren't worth it when it's at the cost of our sanity, time with the kids, or robs me of the joy this coming birth is supposed to remind me of. So thanks for spending a second or two of your precious time to share in this tour... If you were really here, I'd throw some Russian Tea on the stove for you and force feed you pine bark! Merry Christmas!

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6{Follow along for more Christmas Tours here, or under the very simple hashtag #idhtbptbbchristmas on Instagram.}